Emergency Preparedness for Medical Cannabis Patients

Preparing for an emergency, such as a flood, fire, or rapidly spreading illness, takes a bit of planning if you are a full-fledged cannabis patient treating serious ailments or disorders on a daily basis.

Visions of a joint in a glass tube, with the verbiage “In case of emergency, break glass,” come to mind, but if you have successfully replaced pharmaceuticals with cannabis, it will take more than a joint to maintain homeostasis in the body.

The pharmaceutical industry is already prepared, with its networks set up to keep patients supplied with its distribution chains and pharmacies. But the cannabis industry, with its disjointed, state-divided retail system, has little in the way of emergency distribution in place for its patients.

If you are medicating daily via multiple modes, you might want to re-think what an evacuation or the spread of disease in the community might look like for you. How many days would you be able to go without your cannabis oil for chronic pain or serious illness? Without your plant-based medicine, you might have to revert to using pharmaceuticals in a disaster situation if you aren’t prepared.

Doomsday Cannabis Kit

The current threat of a Coronavirus pandemic has many in the Doomsday community posting additional information on how to prepare for such a presumed pandemic. Doomsday is a Christian belief denoting the last day of existence on earth, but it’s also used for a time of crisis or great danger. 

Doomsdayers are known to stockpile food and water, along with guns and ammo, and one YouTuber, Peter Hanna, posted a preparedness video titled “The Smartest Covid-19 Coronavirus Doomsday Preparedness Kit (Cannabis Medicine Prepper Kit).” Hanna created the kit as he believes the Coronavirus is the only virus that can lead us into a Doomsday situation. 

Since respiratory issues and pneumonia is the subsequent cause of death stemming from the Coronavirus, Hanna suggests stockpiling hemp CBD flower and a vaporizer, to immediately reduce inflammation in the lungs.

He also suggests adding antiviral plant essential oils to the kit, mentioning witch hazel and tea tree oil. In the video, two classic Mason jars full of flower are duly noted.

Having cannabis seeds, soil, and pots for growing is also advised; but he adds that you’ll need to prepare to grow plants indoors for safety, as vandalism might be rampant. For this reason, a rifle can be seen in the background.

Most emergency kits contain processed foods and candy, and Hanna said that’s counterproductive to illness, promoting instead high-quality organic food such as non-perishable, grains, beans, and rice. He also included yams and onions as basic produce with a good amount of beneficial compounds, as yams are a good source of energy, providing up to 118 calories high in dietary fiber.

Hanna also suggests having a health fitness tracker to keep tabs on sleep, as sleep is important for healing. The stress of your ordeal is likely to cause sleep deprivation, which can lead to a weakened immune system.

Preparing to be Prepared

Most cannabis patients are aware of the plant as an immune-system builder and an anti-inflammatory. Some say it can also act as an antibiotic; anecdotal stories from cannabis patients reflect success in replacing antibiotics with a stronger cannabis oil protocol. Furthermore, Drugs.com does not list cannabis as having negative interactions with traditional antibiotics.

What most may not be aware of is that the beneficial compounds in the majority of superfoods address the same human biological systems, feeding the endocannabinoid system, while strengthening the immune system, in much the same way as cannabis does.

When a pandemic hits, such as the Coronavirus threatening us now, the weakest of the population are the first to be affected – namely, people who are already ill, have immune system issues, and the elderly. 

It’s important to note that cannabis also has anti-viral properties. As noted in a published paper via the National Institute of Health, “The anti-inflammatory activity of cannabinoids may compromise host inflammatory responses to acute viral infections, but may be beneficial in persistent infections.”

Dr. Mike Hansen is a YouTuber currently posting videos on the Coronavirus. A recent video shared an autopsy of a 50-year-old man from China who succumbed to the virus. In the video he shared that pharmaceuticals for inflammation, including an inhaled version of interferon—an antiviral medication— and antibiotics were administered. In 12 days the inflammation and infection did not subside and the man died. 

As a cannabis patient familiar with the effects of cannabis oil in reducing inflammation, taking 12 days with no effect as an anti-inflammatory would be unheard of. This reveals what the knowledge of cannabis could do for our modern-day ailments, and the continued travesty of what the lack of education on the plant means in real time.

Industry Leader’s Cannabis Survival Kits

Dr. Lakisha Jenkins, California

Dr. Lakisha Jenkins of Northern California holds a Doctorate in Naturopathy, and is a member of the American Herbalist Guild. Her life’s work is in nutrition on combating and preventing illness, with a focus on cannabis as a nutritional supplement to strengthen the endocannabinoid system, and subsequent immune system.

“Ingesting a phytocannabinoid supplement is generally the best delivery method to support the eCS sufficiently,” she explained. “Let’s start with the fact that hemp is a superfood and has all the vitamins, minerals and amino acids to sustain life. It’s also full of protein and fiber. In an emergency situation adequate nutrition is a critical component to a long term survival.”

Dr. Jenkins kit would include hemp seed oil, hemp protein powder, hemp seeds, and a hemp nut butter, stating hemp supplements are nutrient dense, adding value to nutrition as a stand-alone or added to juice or food.

“I’d also include a full spectrum cannabis tincture,” she added. “The tincture will have a rapid onset as a sublingual and can help address symptoms of stress and anxiety, which you will face in a disaster situation. This will also help regulate the body’s fight or flight response, helping to modulate cortisol production and balance the endocrine system.”

Farmer Tom Lauerman, Washington State

Farmer Tom Lauerman of Washington State is a longtime cannabis aficionado, turned-hemp farmer. He shared his personal kit would contain a large glass jar of flower, iodine, vitamin C via sodium ascorbate, and vitamin D.

Iodine is said to boost the thyroid, controlling metabolism. It also combats fatigue, and strengthens tissue, bone, and the brain. Vitamin C is also an immune system booster, lowers hypertension, is an antioxidant, and is good for the skin. Vitamin D also supports bone development by enabling calcium uptake by the body. It also supports healthy immune function, and protects from influenza. 

Rhea Graham, Oregon

Rhea Graham, founder and owner of Albany’s Canna Kitchen in Oregon, said she’d have a variety of Indica and Sativa concentrates in her kit, ready for measured dosing.  

Graham also said she’d also have lots of stem elixir on hand to clear the lungs, as cannabis stems have a nice amount of cannabinol, or CBN, good for treating inflammation. CBN also aids sleep without strong psychoactive properties. Stems naturally have a low THC count of just over one percent.

According to Curt Robbins from Cannabis Aficionado, CBN is a degraded form of THC, either by sunlight, or exposure to air. This oxidizes the THC, converting it to CBN, leaving a mild psychoactive response.

Jane Fix, Arizona

Jane Fix is Director of Patient Services for Cooperstate Farms in Arizona. Her job is to assist and educate its patients, but her own kit would contain grams of high THC FECO or Full Extract Cannabis Oil; a good 1:1 ratio of THC/CBD oil; and CBD only oil. She’d also have a variety of cannabis salves, balms, and topicals in ratios of 50/50. 

“I’d have to have at least four ounces of cannabis,” she informed me. “Two ounces of Indica, one ounce of Sativa, and one hybrid. It would also be important to have heat stable edibles, like gummies, pretzels, savory nuts, and mints. As a side note, colloidal silver cream and liquid are already part of my first aid kit at home.”

Britt Witt, Florida

Herbalist and Natural Wellness Coach, Britt Witt, of Tampa, Florida, found a study on black cumin, or Nigella sativa, otherwise known as Black Seed Oil, and specific help with the Coronavirus. The combination of specific extracts prevented virus replication and more efficient virus killing. This treatment would cover all viruses.

Cannabis Patient Preparedness Check-List

No matter what your level of cannabis use is, it’s always a good idea to be prepared. Following is a list of items a cannabis patient might need, including additional superfoods when cannabis may be scarce:

• Air-tight, water-proof containers
• Cannabis flower for smoking & trim for making remedies
• Variety of dried beneficial herbs and/or concentrates to support the immune system/fight infection:
  • Elderberry, lemon balm, oregano, Echinacea, stinging nettles, chamomile, rosemary, oregano, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, basil 
  • Concentrates of activated and non-THC-activated cannabis oil: tincture, capsules
  • Infused bottles of cooking oils (coconut oil will keep for years without going rancid)
• Pipes, papers, pre-rolls, glass stints, grinder
• Vaporizer, vape pen, extra cartridges, back-up power source & extra power cords
• Seeds, soil, and light weight cloth pots to grow your own again
• A downloaded cannabis dispensary finder app if you’ll be on the road